Apparatus for packaging individual units



Jan. 20, 1%70 CJE. CLOUD APPARATUS FOR PACKAGING INDIVIDUAL UNITS 6 Shee its-Sheet Filed Feb. 16. 1967 JNVEN'TOR. Char/es 5 6704/0 A 'TTORNEYS Jan. 20, 1970 c. E. CLOUD APPARATUS FOR PACKAGING INDIVIDUAL UNITS 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Feb. 16. 1967 R m m N 1 & QQ Char/es 5. 6704/0 ATTORNEYS Jan. 20, 1970 c. E. CLOUD APPARATUS FOR PACKAGING INDIVIDUAL UNITS 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Feb. 16, 1967 R Q INVENTOR. N Char/9&5 0/0416? BY 4 gg 2 A N T'TOR EYS Nam yw Jan. 20, 1970 c. E. CLOUD APPARATUS FOR PACKAGING INDIVIDUAL UNITS 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Feb. 16, 1967 INVENTOR.

U/7ar/e8 E C/Odld ATTORNE Y8 Jam 1970 c. E. CLOUD 3,490,199

APPARATUS FOR PACKAGING INDIVIDUAL UNITS Filed Feb. 18. 1967 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 U "u g 1 Q/a/h )2 m/ 9 Fg 9 /02 /0/) my; /03 & r lull. W2 i PM.

INVENTOR.

C/mr/es E C/oaa BY W (ATTORNEYS United States Patent.

US. Cl. 53202 15 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A unit packaging apparatus and method wherein each unit is pressed endwise against a cut-off piece of sheet material on an arcuately curved surface, such as the periphery of an intermittently rotatable wheel, to push the piece into the outer end of one of a series of spaced pockets or slots in wheel and thus to fold the piece about the unit, and wherein the wheel is then indexed or rotated to an ejection station where the unit with the folded material thereabout is pushed from the inner side of and out of the pocket into position for sealing of edges of the material and from which position the sealed unit is lifted upwardly into stacked relation with previously packaged units.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION This invention relates to a method of and apparatus for packaging individual units wherein use is made of the unit itself to effect part of the packaging of the unit in packaging material such as plastic film.

With the advent of the use of premium coupons in consumer packaged products such, for example, as coffee, cereal, and the like, it has become desirable to seal off, enclose and seal the folded coupon so that the contents of the package in which it is inserted will not come in contact with or adhere to the coupon.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a method and apparatus for packaging units such as folded coupons in folded material such as film, and which lends itself to economical mass production of packaged units.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a method of and apparatus for packaging units wherein the unit itself may be employed to effect folding of packaging material, such as plastic film, therearound prior to the sealing of the film about the unit.

While the present apparatus and method are well suitable for the packaging of folded units of paper, such as coupons, instructions, etc., the same may be used in packaging any other type of units susceptible to *be bodily pushed against a sheetof packaging material for folding the material thereabout.

In accordance with the general features of this invention, there is provided a method of packaging which comprises pushing the unit endwise against a piece of arcuately curved packaging material previously cut from web stock to fold the material about the unit in an open end of a pocket behind the piece of material, rotating the unit with the piece of material folded thereabout to an ejection station, pushing the unit and piece of folded material from another and inner end of the pocket out of the pocket, and then sealing edges of the material about the unit to form a packaged unit.

Another object of the invention is to provide a packaging apparatus for practicing the aforesaid method and which lends itself to packaging either a single unit of a multiple of units at the same time.

A further feature of this invention is to provide an apparatus for packaging units, such as folded coupon ice units and the like, and which comprises a rotary wheel intermittently movable past a charging station and having transverse unit receiving slots circumferentially spaced about the peripheral portion of the wheel, means for indexing the wheel and for feeding the forward end of a sheet of packaging material against and around the arcuate periphery of such wheel, the indexing means also bringing a slot opposite a changing station, means for cutting off an end of the material to a predetermined length while on the wheel with the slot intermediate the ends of and under the cut-off piece of material, charging means at the station for feeding a unit endwise against the cut-01f piece to fold it about the unit as it enters the slot, means for indexing the wheel to bring the unit with the folded material thereon to an ejection station, means for ejecting the unit with the material folded thereon from the slot at the ejection station, and means for sealing edges of the folded material end together beyond and opposite the fold to form a sealed and packaged unit.

Still another feature relates to the moving of the packaging unit, after it has been sealed, in such a manner that it will be self-stacked with other units previously packaged.

Yet a further feature relates to also folding one leg of the film around the unit at the open end so it is sealable alongside of a side face of the unit rather than at an end.

Still other features relate to a packaging in such a manner that a plurality of such units can be packaged contemporaneously with a web stock common to all of the units as well as the provision of a novel slitting arrangement for cutting the fil-m lengthwise between the units after the initial folding operation.

Other objects and features of this invention will more fully appear from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which illustrate a single embodiment of the present packaging apparatus.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side elevation of my packaging apparatus for practicing the present method partly broken away to shorten the illustration, certain parts being illustrated by dotted lines;

FIG, .2 is a plan view of the packaging apparatus shown in FIG. 1 partly in section and broken away through the center to render the illustration more compact;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary cross-sectional View taken generally on the line III-III of FIG. 2 looking in the direction indicated by the arrows and showing the mechanism in what I shall term the normal or back stroke position of the apparatus;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 3 but illustrating the parts of the apparatus in what I call the forward stroke position of the apparatus;

FIG. 5 is also a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken generally on the line III-III of FIG. 2 but showing the mechanism at the forward sealing and stacking stations;

FIG. 6 is likewise a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken generally on the line III III of FIG. 2 but showing the lefthand side of FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary cross-sectional detail view showing the cooperation of the slitting knives at the sealing station;

FIG. 8 is a plan view of one of the knife structures;

FIG. 9 is a side view of the structure shown in FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a detail view taken generally on the line XX of FIG. 2 showing the cam operated looking or latching arm for the indexing wheel;

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary detail sectional view taken on the line XI-XI of FIG. 3 showing the floating or lost motion support for the sealing pres-sure pad at the sealing station; and

FIG. 12 is a prospective view of a packaged unit or coupon produced by the present packaging method and apparatus.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION It is believed that my novel method of packaging units wherein the unit itself is employed to effect folding of the packaging material or film will be fully understood from the following description of an apparatus for practicing the method.

The reference character 10 designates generally a rectangular machine base or frame for carrying the packaging apparatus. It includes four tubular legs 11 at the corners and horizontal tubular rails 12 connecting the legs at the upper end. The legs 11 and the rails 12 may each be of a generally rectangular tubular cross-section as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 and may be suitably secured together. Carried on the upper ends of the legs 11 and the rails 12 is a top 13 (FIGS. 1, 2 and 6) which extends only part way across the top of the base from the lefthand side of FIG. 2 and terminates medially of the base so that depending mechanism can extend downwardly thereby at the righthand side of FIG. 2.

Suitably secured to the underside of the righthand rail 12 (FIG. 5) is a small platform 14 for carrying and having suitably secured thereto a shaft bearing bracket 15, there being one on each side of the machine. Journalled in these brackets is a transverse rotary shaft 16 to which is splined a pair of cam wheels 17, there likewise being one on each side of the machine. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the outer end of the shaft positioned inside the table rail 12 is power driven by a sprocket and chain drive 18. It will be noted that the shaft 16 is on the underside of the plane of the bottom of the table top 13 located at the left hand of FIG. 2.

Each of the cam wheels 17 has an eccentric pin connection at 19 to a longitudinally extending reciprocal link 20, there being one on each side of the machine under the table (FIGS. 2 and 5). As best shown in FIGS. 1 and 6, the other end of each of the reciprocal links 20 is pivotally attached at 21 to an upwardly extending arm 22 which extends through an elongated slot 23 in the top 13 (FIG. 2) and is bolted at 24 to an indexing bar 25, there, of course, being one at each side of the machine. The two indexing bars 2525 (FIGS. 1, 2 and 6) are slidably carried at their free ends in oppositely facing guide brackets 2626 suitably secured to the machine base Similar guide brackets 26a26a secured to the base at its opposite end (FIGS. 1 and 2) slidingly receive the other ends of bars 25. It is the reciprocation of these bars 25 that effect and control the packaging operations.

Between the indexing bars 2525 and suitably secured to the base top 13 is a metal block 27 which has a multiplicity of parallel longitudinally extending grooves 28 (FIGS. 2 and 6) for receiving slidable pushers 29. The forward ends of these pushers are adapted to extend into the bottom of a multiple chamber chute 30 to be described hereinafter more in detail (FIG. 2). The pushers are all connected together by a transverse bar 31 (FIG. 2). The opposite ends of which are secured by bolts 32 (FIG. 6) to the underside of the spaced longitudinally movable indexing bars 25 so as to be movable therewith. This transverse bar 31 is connected to each of the pushers 29 by a bolt 33 (FIG. 6) which may have a spring 34 surrounding it between the bar 31 and the top of the pusher 29.

The feed chute structure 30 (FIGS. 2 and 3) is formed of a multiple of walls suitably secured together and bolted to the table top 13 and which define unit receiving chambers 35. These unit receiving chambers are all identical in size and shape and each receives a series of vertically stacked units 36 (FIG. 3) to be packaged. Each of these units may comprise, for example, a folded sheet of paper such as is used in coupons, instructions, etc. to be included as inserts in other packages. The bottom of these chutes is defined by the top surface of the block 27 and each chamber, at its bottom, has the forward ends of the slots 2828 for receiving therein the forward ends of the pushers 29-29, there being two in each chamber.

The forward side of the chute structure 30 is cut away on an incline at 37 (FIGS. 3 and 4) so that the periphery 39 of intermittently rotating wheel 38 may be disposed in close proximity thereto. As is clear from FIG. 3, each pusher extends at 40 slightly above the slotted block 27 so that its edge is free to engage endwise an edge of the lowermost unit 36 of the stack in corresponding chamber 35. It should also be noted that there is one wheel 38 (FIG. '2) for each of the chute chambers 35. These Wheels are all splined to a common intermittently rotatable shaft 41 journalled at its ends in bearings 41a secured to side frame rails 12 (FIG. 2). The peripheral portion of each wheel 38 has four equally spaced (90 apart) radial slots or pockets 42. These slots are of a width to have folded therein a piece of packaging material or film about a unit pushed therein as shall be hereinafter described.

The hub portions of the wheels 38 are connected by four longitudinally extending suction or vacuum pipes 43, each one of which is in communication with a passage 44 in the peripheral portion of the wheel. There are four such passages in each wheel, there being one associated in generally parallel relation with a corresponding pocket or slot 42. The outer end of each of these passages 44 terminates in the periphery of the wheel so as to apply suction at the periphery to hold film in frictional contact with the periphery of wheel 38.

The arrangement of the vacuum or suction pipes 43 is such that two of them, upon each indexing of the wheel, are adapted to come slidingly into communication with a curved or arcuate vacuum port 45 in a vacuum head 46 (FIGS. 2 and 3) carried on the shaft 41 but held against turning at one end of the shaft 41. This vacuum head may be connected by any suitable means, such as a pipe 47, to any suitable source of suction such as a vacuum pump.

In addition, the periphery of the wheel 38 is provided with a series of equidistantly spaced knife receiving apertures 48 (FIG. 3) for periodically receiving a knife blade 49, there being one for each wheel 38 and all of such knives being carried by a common bar 50 (FIG. 2) attached at its opposite ends to the free ends of pivotal levers 51 for raising and lowering the knives into the respective slots 48 in the series of aligned wheels 38.

The two spaced arms 51 are secured to and carried by a rock or pivotal shaft 52 pivotally journalled in spaced bearings 5353 (FIG. 2) suitably fastened to and carried upon the block 27 as shown at 54 in FIG. 1. Also secured to and pivoting with the shaft 52 are a pair of arms 55 axially outwardly of the arms 5151 (FIGS. 2 and 4) each of which carries a roller 56 which is adapted to ride on a cam member 57 having a straight upper surface 58 and a downwardly irregularly inclined surface 59 (FIGS. 3 and 4). Each of these cam members 57 (FIG. 2) is secured to the top surface of the associated reciprocal indexing bar 25 therebelow.

One end of the pivotal shaft 52 extends at 52a (FIG. 2) beyond one of the bearings 53 and carries an arm 60 having a pin 61 (FIGS. 1 and 2) adapted to enter a slot 62 in an indexing wheel 63 secured to the outer end of the transverse shaft 41 which carries the wheels 38. It will be noted that there are four equidistantly spaced slots 62 in hte periphery of the indexing wheel 63 which are apart. Also, as shall become apparent hereinafter, when the bars 25 are moved forward or to the right (FIG. 1) the roller 56 climbs the cammed surface 59 pivoting shaft 52 and raising arm 60 to remove the pin 61 out of the slot 62 in the wheel 63 thus unlocking the wheel 63. This then locates the pin 61 in a position to ride on the periphery of the wheel 63 until it drops into the next succeeding slot 62 to the right at the end of the forward stroke of bars 25. On the return or backward stroke of the bars 25, the cam bar or pawl 65 engages in the successive pin 69 to index the wheel 63, shaft 41 and the wheels for folding 38 90 in a counterclockwise direction as shown in FIG. 10.

There is also provided a positive locking mechanism for the indexing shaft and which is shown in detail in FIGS. 1 and 2. This mechanism includes an arm .65 pivoted at 66 to one of the slidable bars 25 so as to be movable therewith. This arm is located transversely inwardly of one of the earns 57 and is pivotally secured to the bar 25 adjacent the cam (FIG. 2). Such are shown in dotted lines in FIG. 1 and in full lines in FIG. 10. It has on its underside a cammed surface 67 as well as a downwardly depending shouldered lug 68 for dropping in behind a pin 69 on a circular plate 70 also secured to and carried by the main transverse shaft 41. This circular plate 70 is illustrated by dotted lines in FIG. 1. It will be noted that the pins 69 are four in number and are equidistantly spaced 90 apart. They project rearwardly from the plate so as to be in the longitudinal path of the pivoted arm 65 on bar 25.

When the two bars 25 are moved to their rearmost positions (to the left), the latching arm 65 will be in latching engagement with one of the pins 69 on wheel 70. On the forward movement of the bars 25, the arm 65 moves forward therewith with the consequent result that the arm is cammed upwardly out of engagement with the pin 69. In this respect, it will be perceived that the forward end of the latching arm has an inclined surface 71 which cammingly engages the succeeding pin 69 to raise the lug out of contact with the following pin 69 allowing the arm to then be cammed upwardly by the following pin engaging the cammed surface thereof.

The pivotal shaft 52 (FIGS. 1, 2 and 3) between the arms 51-51 carrying the knife bar 50 has a rubber roller 72 mounted thereon for bearing against the peripheries of all of the wheels 38 so as to be turned in a clockwise direction thereby as the wheels are indexed in a counterclockwise direction. In other words, there is a frictional drive between the wheels 38 and the rubber roller 72 which is carried by an anti-frictional or roller bearing unit 73 on shaft 52. An end of the shaft 52 extends beyond the machine (FIG. 2) and carries a pulley 74 about which is trained an endless drive belt 75 extended up around the pulley 76 secured to the shaft 77 (FIG. 1) to which is suitably splined a roll carrying packaging material 78 such as packaging film. The ends of the shaft 77 are journalled in the upper ends of a pair of spaced upwardly extending brackets 7979 (FIGS. 1 and 2) suitably fastened to the sides of the machine base 10.

A sheet of film 78a is threaded from the roll 78 downwardly over an idler roller 80 (FIG. 1) carried by one or more arms 81 pivotally mounted on a bracket 82 secured to the chute structure 30. From the idler roller the film 78a is trained around the rubber roller and between the rubber roller and the wheels 38 (FIG. 3). The leading end of this film 78a is initially threaded around the wheel so as to extend from one knife cut-off slot 48 to another (FIG. 3) so that one of the folding slots 42 is located between the two knife cut-off slots 48-48.

Referring to FIG. 3, it will be appreciated that with a piece of film 78a in the position shown overlying the end of the left horizontal slot 42 in the wheel 38, a unit 36 to be packaged may be pressed endwise against the film by the pushers 29 in horizontal alignment with the slot 42. Continued forward movement of the pushers causes the unit to progressively push the cut-off lead end of film 78a gradually into the slot 42 causing such cut off piece of film to be folded around the unit. It will be appreciated that the operation and use of all wheels 38 is the same.

As this forward stroke of the bars 25 occurs, the pin 61 is also raised out of latching or locking engagement with the slot 62 on plate 63 thereby releasing the wheels 38 for subsequent indexing a quarter of a turn as shall become more apparent hereinafter.

It should be noted that this movement of the bars on the forward stroke is accomplished by the links 20 (FIG. 3) connected to the progressively driven cam wheels on shaft 16 which is turning in a counterclockwise direction. The forward stroke is completed upon a 180 turn of the shaft 16, at which time the eccentric pin 19 on the cam wheel 17 will be on the opposite side from that shown in FIG. 3.

It should be further noted that in the forward stroke of the bars 25 to the right in FIG. 1, the arm 61 is also raised by cammed block 57 to move the pin 61 out of the slot 62 in the wheel 63. Upon the completion of this forward movement, the pin 61 will be then positioned over and ready to enter a succeeding slot 62 in wheel 63 on the righthand side of FIG. 3 for an indexing operation. When the links 20 are moved back to the position shown in FIG. 3 on the back or return stroke of the bars 25, the pawl or carn bar 65 drops into engagement with the pin 69 and continued movement of the bar 25, to the left in the drawings, results in the wheel 70, shaft 41 and the folding wheels 38 being indexed a quarter of a turn in a counterclockwise direction. This will result in the previously covered unit being held in a cut-off folded piece of packaging film 78b (FIG. 3) with a tail end of the film 78c. The purpose of this tail end will be more fully described hereinafter. On the initial indexing, the unit in the wheel slot 42 will be disposed in an upright position, as shown in FIG. 3, and upon a 180 turn of the shaft 41 or a second indexing, it will be brought to the horizontal position, shown in FIG. 3, ready for subsequent sealing.

I shall now describe the mechanism for ejecting the folded film and unit from the horizontal slot 42 shown at the right of FIG. 3. The two longitudinal reciprocal bars 25 have a transverse connecting bar connecting the units together (FIGS. 2 and 3) so as to move longitudinally therewith. Fastened to this bar is a series of spaced identical angular pushers 81 which extend downwardly therefrom between the wheels 38. The lower end of each of these pushers 81 has a small lateral depending lug 82 positioned to engage the folded end of the piece of plastic at 78b on the inner side of the pocket or slot 42 as the bars move forward. Continued forward movement of the bars results in the covered unit being ejected from the slot 42 and transferred to a sealing station 83 (FIG. 3 More specifically, the unit is moved for ultimate positioning between a resiliently urged pressure rubber block assembly 84 and a heated base 85. On the return stroke of bars 25, the rubber block 84 will be slightly elevated since it is carried by a pair of pivoted arms 86- 86 (FIG. 5), one on each side of the machine pivotally connected at 87 to the adjacent longitudinal bar 25. As shall become apparent in the ejecting operation by the bars 25, the sealing pad 84 is also moved forward by bars 25 so that the ejected unit can be conveyed onto the heated base by arms 81 as shown in FIG. 4. In this operation, the trailing piece 780, shown in FIG. 3, is caused to be folded under the packaged unit (FIG. 4) and laps for sealing engagement with the other edge of the cut-off piece 7812 (FIG. 12). In other words, the pushing of the unit onto the base 85 causes the trailing end 780 to be progressively folded horizontally as it engages the block 85, thereby lapping the other edge. I have shown in FIGURE 4 by a dot at 78d the extreme end of the trailing piece 780 and I have shown by a dot 78e the other edge that is lapped thereby so that these lapped portions can be subsequently sealed by heat and pressure.

Each of the bars also carries a bracket 88 between which and the top of the rubber pad assembly 84 a spring 89 is disposed exerting a downward force on each end of the pad assembly 84.

The pressure pad assembly 84 in reality has a floating or lost motion connection with the arms 86 as is detailed in FIG. 11. Each arm on each side of the machine carries a block 88' of metal having a pair of pin receiving vertical grooves 89 open at the top side and into which projects a pair of pins 90 carried on the ends of the pad assembly 84. While only one pin 90 in slot 89 is shown in FIG. 11, it will be appreciated that both of them on each side of the machine are identical so that a description of one should suflice for all. The pins are suitably anchored at one end in metal block 91 of the pad assembly which carries the resilient pad 92 for direct contact with the unit being sealed.

As shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, the forward and rear edges of the pad assembly 84 has fastened to it angle arms 93 and 94 which extend downwardly over at least a part of the thickness of the rubber pad 92. The lower edge of the angle arm 94 serves to assist in pushing the packaged unit forwardly on the heated base 85 as is clear from FIG. 5.

In FIG. 5, I have illustrated the position of the ejector arms or pushers 81 prior to the ejection of a unit onto the heating base 85. At this time, the pad assembly 84 is in pressing and sealing engagement with the previously packaged unit. On the other hand, in FIG. 4, I have shown the pad 84 moved forwardly by the bars 25, and the unit that has been sealed likewise moved forward. This leaves the rear end of the heated base 85 open for receiving the succeeding packaged unit which has been pushed thereon by the pusher 81.

The pressure pad assembly 84, as noted before, is pushed downwardly by the springs 89 between the pad assembly and the brackets 88 carried by the bars 25. Moreover, since the pivoted arms 86 are also carried by the bars 25 through the pivot pins 8787, the entire pad assembly and the arms 86 necessarily move with the reciprocal bars.

The heated base 85 includes a depending metal block 95 fixedly secured at its ends to the machine frame rails 12 in which are disposed suitable electric heating elements 96 (FIG. 4). This block 95 in turn carries and has secured to it another block 97, the top surface of which is aligned with the bottom of a slot 42 in each of the indexing wheels 38 when such slots are in a horizontal position as is clear from FIGS. 3, 4 and 5.

This arrangement is so that the pusher arms 81 can push the units directly onto the top surface of the block 97. A rear portion of the top of this block 97 has a plurality of recesses at 98 (FIGS. 3 and 4) to receive a slitting knife assembly 100 detailed out in FIGS. 7, 8 and 9. These assemblies are all the same so that a description of one suffices for all. The assembly 100 includes two strips of metal 101101 (FIGS. 7 and 8) bolted together with an angular cutting knife 102 secured therebetween with an upper tip 103 projecting slightly thereabove for slitting the web or sheet of plastic between the indexing wheels 38. In other words, when the connected units are moved forward on the ironing base 85, as shown in FIG. 3, continued forward movement of the units causes the sharp tips 103 of the knife blades 102 to engage and progressively cut the plastic film between the units and in locales aligned with the spaces between the indexing wheels 38. Continued forward movement of the units results in complete severing of them from each other.

The heating rods 96 in the base 85 serve to heat the entire block 97 to an extent sufiicient to seal the side edges of the fihn along each unit as well as to seal the trailing and forward edges at 78d and 78e together on a side face of the unit as shown in FIGS. 4 and 12.

Now, each of the pressure pad carrying pivoted arms 86 has a downwardly depending squared extension 104, shown in dotted lines in FIG. 4, adapted to be engaged by the cam 105 of each of the cam wheels 17 on opposite sides of the machine on the back stroke of the links 20 20 connected to the bars 25-25. The purpose of this is to raise up the pressure pad 84 against the downward force of the springs 89 to permit release of the sealing engagement with the units after sealing and so that the sealing pad 84 can, on the backstroke of bars 25 be moved back from the position shown in FIG. 4 to that shown in FIG. 3.

In FIGS. 2 and 5, there are shown a series of axially aligned pick-up wheels 106. These unit pick-up wheels are of the same number as the indexing wheels 38 and are all identical and, hence, a description of one will suflice for all. Each wheel 106 has a plurality of spaced radial slots 107 of a width to receive snugly therein one of the packaged units as shown in FIG. 5. The wheel 106 is adapted to be indexed so that on each indexing a slot 107 is aligned With the forward end of the advancing units on the heated base 85. In this respect, it should be understood that until the pressure pad 84 is moved upwardly it serves, through its angular plate 94 at the forward edge thereof, to push the series of units forwardly so that the rearmost unit moves the forwardmo-st one into a slot 107 (FIG. 5).

The indexing pick-up wheels 106 are all splined at spaced points to a common shaft 108 journalled at intermediate points in identical bearings 109 (FIGS. 2 and 5) suitably fastened to the top of the machine base rails 12 as shown at 110 (FIG. 5). One end of this shaft 108 carries a toothed or cog Wheel 111 (FIG. 2), the teeth of which are adapted to be progressively engaged by the curved end 112 of an arm 113, as best shown in FIG. 5.

The arm 113 is pivoted at 114 on a bracket 115 fastened to the forward end of the adjoining oscillating bar 25 (FIG. 5). The bracket carries a rearwardly projecting spring stop 116 adapted to bear against one end of a spring 117 looped around the pivot 114 of the arm, the other end of which spring may be turned at 118 with the underside of the arm 113. The arm 113 and the toothed wheel 111 constitute a typical cog or escapement mechanism for indexing the wheels 106 in a clockwise direction on the backstroke of the oscillating bar 25. On the forward stroke, to the right in FIG. 5, the tip end of the arm 113 merely rides over the teeth of wheel 111 without indexing the same and travels to the dotted line position. The spring 117, of course, serves to always move the arm 113 upwardly about its pivot 114.

As the packaged and Sealed units are picked up by the wheel 106, they are removed from a horizontal plane and progressively moved upwardly in a clockwise direction to a vertical plane (FIG. 5) where they are successively stacked one against the other. A series of inclined chutes 120 (FIGS. 2 and 5) extend forwardly from the machine into which columns of stacked units are adapted to be moved against the pressure of unrollable springs 121 in each of the chutes 120. This spring 120 is nothing more than a coiled spring element, one end of which is free and the other end of which is anchored at 122 to the forward edge of the bottom of the chute 120.

As the units are delivered against the coiled springs by the wheels 106, the pressure of the oncoming units beng stacked gradually unrolls the spring 121 down the incline of the chute 120 where they may be periodically picked up by an operator for disposal in stacked arrangement in a suitable enclosure or box.

In the operation of the mechanism, the back stroke, to the left in the drawings, of the oscillating bars 25 serves to index the unit pick-up and stacking wheels 106 in a clockwise direction and also serves to lower the arms 60 and 67 so wheel 63 may be indexed together with the aligned film folding wheels 38 in a counterclockwise direction. This counterclockwise movement of the wheels 38 (FIG. 3) feeds the forward end of the film 78 around the periphery of the wheels past the charging station with a slot 42 under an intermediate portion thereof ready to be charged. At the end of the back stroke, the knives 49 are brought into the wheel for cutting off the forward piece of film on the wheels 38.

Also, during the back stroke of the bars 25, the rubber pressure pad unit 84 is brought from the position shown 9 in FIG. 4 to the position shown in FIG. 3 for pressing a unit previously discharged. 7

A slot 42 in each of the wheels is charged with or receives the folded film with a unit in each of the wheels 38 and the arms 81 eject previously folded units from the position shown in FIG. 3 to the position shown in FIG. 4 where the trailing end 780 is folded alongside of the unit, as previously described, ready to be sealed on a subsequent back stroke of the bars. In the course of the back and forth movement, the packaged units are progressively lifted up from the horizontal to the vertical and stacked as aforesaid.

Although minor modifications might be suggested by those versed in the art, it should be understood that I wish to embody within the scope of the patent warranted thereon, all such embodiments as reasonably and properly come within the scope of my contribution to the art.

I claim as my invention:

. 1. In an apparatus for folding and sealing packaging material about units to be packaged,

a rotary wheel intermittently movable past a charging station and having unit receiving slots circumferentially spaced about the peripheral portion of the wheel;

means for indexing the wheel and for feeding the forward end of a sheet of packaging material against and around the periphery of such wheel;

said indexing means also bringing said slot opposite said charging station;

means for cutting a piece off an end of the material of predetermined length while on the wheel with a slot between the ends of and under the cut-off piece of material;

charging means at said station for feeding a unit edgewise against the surface of a cut-off piece of the mate rial to press said piece into the slot and thus fold said piece around the unit as the piece bends and enters the slot under the push of said unit;

said indexing means indexing the wheel to bring the unit with the folded material thereon to an ejection station;

means for completely ejecting the unit with the material folded thereon from the slot at said ejection station to a sealing station;

means at said sealing station operative after said ejecting from the slot for pressing the material against the sides of the unit and for sealing edges of the folded piece together including an end opposite the fold to form a sealed and packaged unit, and

means interconnecting said ejecting means and said seal ng means and moving at least a portion of said sealing means forward in the effecting of discharge of a packaged unit.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 further characterized by packaged unit pick-up means for engaging and moving the sealed unit from one plane to another in stacked relation to other previously packaged units.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 further characterized by means for stacking packaged units successively and for pushing forward the stack of units so that the stack can be progressively built up.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 further characterized by packaged unit pick-up means for engaging and moving the packaged unit from one plane to another in stacked relation to other previously packaged units, said pick-up means including an intermittently rotatable wheel having spaced peripheral slots into each of which a packaged unit is movable so that as the wheel rotates it moves the unit away from the sealing means.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 further characterized by said wheel being one of a series of axially aligned wheels all intermittently rotatable together and against which the piece of web material common to all is pushed by a series of units for repeating the aforesaid material folding operation at each Wheel and wherein there is also provided cutting means for longitudinally slitting the material between the wheels before the units with folded material thereabout are sealed.

6. The apparatus of claim 4 further characterized by the pick-up means being arranged in a transverse series for separately but contemporaneously stacking the packaged units in a series of longitudinally extending rows.

7. In an apparatus for folding and sealing packaging material about units to be packaged,

a rotary wheel intermittently movable past a charging station and having unit receiving slots circumferentially spaced about the peripheral portion of the wheel,

means for indexing the wheel and for feeding the forward end of a sheet of packaging material against and around the periphery of such wheel,

said indexing means also bringing said slot opposite said charging station,

means for cutting a piece off an end of the material of predetermined length while on the wheel with a slot between the ends of and under the cut-off piece of material,

charging means at said station for feeding a unit edgewise against the surface of a cut-off piece of material to press said piece into the slot and thus fold said piece about the unit as the piece bends and enters the slot under the push of said unit,

means for indexing the wheel to bring the unit with the folded material thereon to an ejection station,

means for ejecting the unit with the material folded thereon from the slot at said ejection station, and

means for sealing edges of the folded piece together beyond and opposite the fold to form a sealed and packaged unit,

the progressive movement and indexing of the unit and the packaging and sealing of same being effected by a reciprocatory bar movable in one direction to carry out at least one of the steps and in an opposite direction to complete the others.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 further characterized by the provision of suction means to adhere frictionally the piece of material on the wheel.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 further characterized by said wheel being one of a series of axially aligned wheels all intermittently rotatable together and against which the piece of web material common to all is pushed by a series of units for repeating the aforesaid material folding operation at each wheel and wherein there is also provided cutting means for longitudinally slitting the material between the wheels before the units with folded material thereabout are sealed, and packaged unit pick-up means for engaging and moving the packaged unit from one plane to another in stacked relation to other previously packaged units, said pick-up means including an intermittently rotatable Wheel having spaced peripheral slots into each of which a packaged unit is movable so that as the Wheel rotates it moves the unit away from the sealing means.

10. In an apparatus for folding and sealing packaging material about units to be packaged,

a rotary wheel intermittently movable past a charging station and having unit receiving slots circumferentially spaced about the peripheral portion of the wheel,

means for indexing the wheel and for feeding the forward end of a sheet of packaging material against and around the periphery of such wheel,

said indexing means also bringing said slot opposite said charging station,

means for cutting a piece off an end of the material of predetermined length while on the wheel with a slot between the ends of and under the cut-off piece of material,

charging means at said station for feeding a unit edgewise against the surface of a cut-off piece of the material to press said piece into the slot and thus fold said piece about the unit as the piece bends and enters the slot under the push of said unit,

means for indexing the wheel to bring the unit with the folded material thereon to an ejection station,

means for ejecting the unit with the material folded thereon from the slot at said ejection station, and

means for sealing edges of the folded piece together beyond andopposite the fold to form a sealed and packaged unit,

the progressive movement and indexing of the unit and the packaging and sealing of same being effected by a reciprocatory bar movable in one direction to carry out at least one of the steps and in an opposite direction to complete the others.

11. -In an apparatus for folding and sealing packaging material about units to be packaged,

a rotary wheel intermittently movable past a charging station and having unit receiving slots circumferentially spaced about the peripheral portion of the wheel,

means for indexing the wheel and for feeding the forward end of a sheet of packaging material against and around the periphery of such wheel,

said indexing means also bringing said slot opposite said charging station,

means for cutting a piece 011 an end of the material of predetermined length while on the wheel with a slot between the ends and under the cut-off piece of material,

charging means at said station for feeding a unit edgewise against the surface of a cut-off piece of the material to press said piece into the slot and thus fold said piece about the unit as the piece bends and enters the slot under the push of said unit,

means for indexing the wheel to bring the unit with the folded material thereon to an ejection station,

means for ejecting the unit with the material folded thereon from the slot at said ejection station, and

means for sealing edges of the folded piece together beyond and opposite the fold to form a sealed and packaged unit,

the progessive movement and indexing of the units and packaging and sealing of same being effected by longitudinally reciprocatory means movable in one direction to carry out at least one of the steps and in an opposite direction to complete the others.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 further characterized by the sealing means including a heated plate and a movable resilient pressing element for pressing the unit and film against the plate, said pressing element being automatically movable along the heated plate and away from a succeeding unit being ejected from the wheel so such ejected succeeding element can be moved onto said plate,

13. The apparatus of claim 5 further characterized by the sealing means including a heated plate onto which the elements are successively ejected one after another and so that the units after sealing may be employed to push a preceding element along to a stacking position.

14. The apparatus of claim 5 further characterized by said cutting means including knife blades movable into and out of slots in the periphery of the indexing wheel during periods of non-rotation of the wheel.

15. In a packaging machine,

means forming a frame;

means for folding a series of strips of material about a series of units;

means forming a sealing plate supported on said frame;

ejecting means for advancing units with strips folded thereon progressively in endwise relation from said folding means onto said plate;

a movable head over said plate for pressing units onto said plate to seal each strip about a unit therein; and means simultaneously moving both said head and said ejecting means in one direction relative to said plate for advancing units with strips folded thereon onto said plate and for engaging a portion of said head with a previously sealed unit to propel a series of sealed units in edgewise relation to a discharge station and in another direction to pick up additional units.

References Cited w UNITED STATE PATENTS 1,572,256 2/1926 Van Buren 53-171 X 1,572,257 2/1926 Van Buren 53-171 X 2,029,934 2/1936 Milmoe 53l71 X 2,421,874 6/1947 Fouse 2147 X 3,035,379 5/1962 Cloots 53234 X 3,218,776 11/1965 Cloud 53-178 X 2,486,892 11/1949 Sumida 53388 X 3,016,671 1/1962 Stremke et al. 53388 X 3,164,938 1/1965 Waite 53388 X THERON E, CONDON, Primary Examiner NEIL ABRAMS, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 53-33, 228, 373 

